Recently released data of Southwest Journal, shows that Washington’s top 10 most dangerous towns in 2023 will be those with numbers above 5,000. This evaluation covers 116 towns and looks at both violence and property crimes. As shown on KOMO 4, these towns have problems with theft, carjacking, and shootings during the day, which makes the evening areas dangerous. Concern goes beyond specific areas and focuses on the need for changes in shopping centers and districts. The problems aren’t just in Washington, but the fact that it has the thirteenth most people in the country makes the problems worse. Look through the full list to find places where things are harder than thought.
The 10 most dangerous places in Washington, D.C.
1. Fife
Fife, a Tacoma suburb with a high crime rate, ranks first. Fife has the second-highest property crime rate in the state, so be careful after a casino night. Fife had 4 killings in 2020, the highest murder rate in Washington for its population of 10,301. If you want Tacoma’s safest suburbs, avoid Fife.
2. Tukwila
Tukwila is back on Washington’s most dangerous list. The reason is obvious with seven times the national crime rate. Property crimes, including 530 car thefts and 222 burglaries, affected 1 in 6 Tukwila residents in 2020. The city ranks third in state rapes. Crystal Springs Park is great, but bring friends and leave before dark.
3. Tacoma
Because of its high crime rate, Tacoma locals may not agree with its title as one of the “most walkable cities” in 2006. It’s dangerous to walk alone in Point Defiance Park. In 2020, one out of every 118 people in the city was attacked, making it the second most dangerous place in the state. The rate of serious crime in Tacoma is almost four times the national rate. Watch out in the City of Destiny, or you could die.
4. Toppenish
Toppenish is the fourth most dangerous place in Washington. It is on the Yakama Indian Reservation. Because there aren’t many people living in the state, each murder is more serious than in other states, which has the second-highest murder rate (10 in 2020). The city has the highest number of burglaries in the state.
5. Seattle
Seattle’s crime rates don’t match up with its quiet Space Needle view. These doors should always be locked in this city, which has the second-highest crime rate in the state. Plus the scary 4,911 car steals that will happen in 2020. There is seventh-most serious crime in the city in the state. A person was arrested on murder charges after the body of a mother in Seattle was found.
6. Spokane
Washington’s second-most populous city, Spokane, is also its sixth-most dangerous. There are safe areas and neighborhoods that need work. In 2020, there is a 1 in 19 chance that someone will steal something in Spokane.
7. Union Gap
Most of the people who lived in Union Gap left in the 1880s. Not just people. In order to follow a new train track, whole buildings were moved north on rollers. Today Yakima is only 10 minutes away. It grew from the new town. What was left was called Union Gap.
8. SeaTac
SeaTac, which is home to Seattle–Tacoma International Airport, has a lot of crime, like car thefts and crimes. A woman from Burien was kidnapped, raped, and killed at SeaTac in 2017. The mother of four was taken from her job at a convenience shop. The crime shocked people because it was so bad and happened in a public place. Israel Ramos-Islas was charged with murder in the first degree, kidnapping, and rape. More people learned about public safety and violence against women after the crime.
9. Shelton
Shelton, which is close to the westernmost coast of Puget Sound, has high rates of both property and serious crime. Because there was a lot of unemployed and poverty, crime took over.
10. Lakewood
Lakewood, which is on the southwest side of Tacoma, is the tenth most dangerous place in Washington. There is a lot of car theft and serious crime there. In 2009, four police officers in Lakewood, Washington were killed. This was one of the worst crimes ever. Maurice Clemmons, a convicted felon, shot and killed four Lakewood Police Department officers who were getting ready for work at a coffee shop. He was an officer, as were Ronald Owens, Tina Griswold, and Greg Richards.
The worst crimes that have ever happened in Washington, D.C.
Washington’s past is full of horrible crimes, like Ted Bundy’s reign of terror in the 1970s, during which he killed 11 people. Thirteen people were killed in the Wah Mee game club killing in 1983, making it one of the deadliest events in the state’s history. In flight history, the mysterious 1971 D.B. Cooper kidnapping is one of the most famous events. The Green River Killer, Gary Ridgway, caused fear with 49 killings in the 1980s and 1990s, leaving a frightening memory in places like the Green River and Seattle–Tacoma International Airport.
READ MORE: Serial Murders Committed by Ted Bundy